Should I get a Pocket Wifi or A SIM Card?

Should I get a Pocket Wifi or a SIM Card?

Many people begin to ask the question of which would be better for me, getting a SIM card or a Pocket wifi and what are the large differences between the two products. This post will discuss the main differences between the two items and which one I would recommend on a trip/vacation to Japan. Note that this will be a post describing strictly the products and features Genki Mobile have, so this opinion may differ depending on the companies you rent from.

The Similarities:

There are dozens of similarities between the two products and as time and development betters the products, there are less and less differences between the two products. Both products can provide multiple devices with data/internet, since SIM cards have a tethering feature they can act as a hub for data much like a pocket wifi, which is free of charge with our SIM cards. Both products connect to the web in a similar fashion and some pocket wifis even internally use a SIM card because it would simply be more efficient and effective to do so. Lastly, both products even provide data after hitting the limit and the same speed, speed is something important to always look at when you see the words unlimited. You can read more about it on our post. So to be honest, on the tech side there are no large differences, I will discuss some smaller differences later.

The Differences:

Tech:

The differences on the tech front of the two products are very minimal. These include: Pocket wifis having more devices that can connect to it (5-10 on SIM, 20 on Pocket Wifis), Pocket wifis can provide more data per day (SIM cards 1 GB per day, Pocket Wifi 7GB).

Logistical:

Logistical differences are the largest differences between the two products, and now would be the driving factor of choosing a pocket wifi or SIM. 

• You are physically able to lose Pocket wifi making it a risk hazard (if you are the type to lose stuff, or get anxious easily it may not be for you), while SIM card as long as you do not lose your whole device you are fine.
• Pocket wifi’s come with a portable charger which can be helpful to keep other devices including the wifi charged.
• SIM cards are cheaper and more compact making it more efficient for travel.
• It is easier to check data usage on pocket wifi than sim card, pocket wifi is a click of a button

Conclusion:

As you can tell there are not many differences between the two products, they have evolved to a point where almost all functionality are the same. If you are looking to use a lot of data, whether it be because you want to download stuff on the trip, know you won’t have wifi during a large portion of the trip, or the type to binge watch netflix on the train, Pocket Wifi’s would be your best choice. But if you are the type to lose things, want to travel light, want to save money, and use little data, then SIM cards would be for you. In my personal opinion, I think the ease of use of pocket wifis when it comes to multiple devices is why I tend to rent pocket wifis more, it also comes with more data and the portable charger is very handy, although slightly more expensive I think it is worth it since you will likely never be using all 7 GBs in a single day, whereas you can easily spend 1 GB by watching one too many netflix episodes. The ease of mind of never having to have to worry about using too much data is why I would use a pocket wifi.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and I hope I was able to make your trip to Japan a little more accessible.

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